Hand tools are used to assemble, repair, service, or build different mechanical equipment. Tools are used in the home and workshop for a wide range of applications, including the assembly of furniture, repairing a ventilation grate, fixing a door or window, etc. Tools are also used in commercial settings by service providers, including installing cable service, repairing a vehicle, working in a shop, etc. Hand tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches, hammers, and crowbars are designed for manual use by an individual and must have a controlled weight and size that allow repetitive use without undue fatigue. Hand tools are used to deliver targeted forces such as blunt forces, torques, and punctures upon different materials. For example, a screwdriver must transfer a torque created from the wrist of an individual onto a screw that must be removed or inserted.
Efficient hand tools allow for targeted use of manual force upon a point of use to limit muscle fatigue of a user. One way to limit muscle fatigue is by reducing the weight of the hand tool, often making the tool more brittle and prone to damage. Another way to limit fatigue is to better anticipate and optimize the multiple steps needed to perform a task. When inserted or removed, screws need a high degree of torque but low rotational movement at positions where the screw is gripped, stuck, or must deform the greatest amount of matter to push in. Screws also need low torque but high rotational movement at a position where the screw moves almost freely along filets. A user ends up wasting valuable time and energy by moving the totality of a conventional tool during removal of a screw when such movement is not truly required. What is needed is a hand tool capable of transfering high torque when needed but also low torque without having to move the weight of the hand tool.
Another known problem with hand tools is their incapacity to utilize the human hand in which they are placed. The human hand has a metacarpus (a broad inside palm) attached to the carpus (the wrist) capable of delivering strong torque to hand tools placed within the curve of a hand. The hand is also equipped with four fingers placed in opposition via the trapedium to a thumb capable of very high tactile dexterity and perform precise actions using a hand tool placed in proximity with the ends of the fingers and thumb. Currently, hand tools fail to utilize the combination of force of the bottom section of the hand and the dexterity of the upper section of the hand when conducting a single operation. For example, screwdriver users hold a tool in their palm and must transfer the hand tool out of the hand to use the tip of the fingers to feel the precision of the screw position on a surface during the final stages of insertion. What is needed is a hand tool capable of utilizing the unique capacity of the finger tips and the thumb while at the same time utilizing the strength of the palm of a hand.
Tool users may also work remotely from a ledge or a flat surface where tools can be put down between successive uses. Some tool users equip themselves with toolbelts or wrist bands to store the tool between uses. Again, energy is lost by having to remove the hand tool from the hand and having to place it back the the hand when needed. The adult human hand is capable of numerous types of grips. Dentists and surgeons, for example, distinguish among the different types of grips. The adult human hand is dextrous enough to transfer a hand tool used in a pen grasp (between the tips of the fingers) to a palm grasp (between the palm and the bottom of the small finger) and so forth without the need of a second hand. A hand tool capable of being handled with a finger grip and a palm grip should also be capable of temporary storage within the hand while a user requires the use of his four fingers and thumb. What is needed is a hand tool capable of utilizing this unique capacity of the adult human in conjunction with the other advantages given above to save energy by reducing the displacements required to operate a hand tool.